Interview with Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN)

Though considered to be one of the most conservative members of Congress, Representative Jimmy Duncan (R-Tennessee) has been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration when it comes to foreign policy. I spoke to Representative Duncan about his views on foreign policy and on what he thinks will happen to the Republican Party in light of the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq.

An excerpt:

Duncan: "I think the foreign policy that we're following, and the policy on homeland security, is just leading to a great expansion of federal power. I opposed the creation of the Homeland Security Department. I've opposed the PATRIOT Act. Because to me those things are leading to more and more and bigger and bigger and much more expansive government that I don't think we can afford. And it's making our federal government more powerful and more intrusive, invading the privacy of many of our citizens and so forth. And it goes against every traditional Republican, traditional conservative view that I've ever known."

Click here to read the rest of the interview.

Oklahoma Lawmakers on Cuban Embargo

In Oklahoma, the state Department of Agriculture and many local farmers support increasing trade with Cuba. They think that it could be a big market for the state's wheat, beef, and other agriculture products. In this piece, I look at the ongoing debate over the Cuban trade embargo and speak to Oklahoma Republican Congressmen Frank Lucas and Tom Cole, both of whom support the embargo. The story aired in the greater Okalahoma City region on KGOU.

To listen to the story, click here.

Cuban Trade Embargo

Should the U.S. lift the current travel and trade restrictions against Cuba? That was the focus of this feature I did for Alabama Public Radio. If the trade embargo against Cuba was lifted, Alabama agriculture would benefit greatly thanks to its close proximity to the island nation. But while the state legislature in Alabama has called on Congress to lift the embargo, the state's lawmakers in Washington are opposing any changes in the status quo.

To listen to the story, click here.

National Guard Overstretched

Because of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, many National Guard units around the country are severely lacking in both personnel and equipment. In fact, the average National Guard unit has less than 40% of the equipment they say they need to effectively respond to a domestic emergency, such as a hurricane or flood. In this piece for WCPN in Cleveland, Ohio, I interviewed Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and Representative Steve LaTourette (R-OH) for their thoughts on the state of the Ohio National Guard. In particular, I asked them about proposals to give the National Guard a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff so that the Guard would have more say in how its personnel and equipment are used. I also asked them about reversing changes made last year to the Insurrection Act, which make it easier for President Bush to declare martial law and to control National Guard units without the consent of state governors.


To listen to the story, click here.

TxDOT feature for Texas Public Radio

A longer version of my story on TxDOT's recent funding dispute with Texas' congressional delegation has aired on KSTX in San Antonio, Texas.

To listen to the story, click here.

Latest story for KUT

My piece on the Texas Transportation Department's deteriorating relationship with Texas' congressional delegation aired today on KUT in Austin, Texas.

Here's a summary:

Just weeks after the Texas Transportation Department’s contracts with Washington lobbyists angered lawmakers, TxDOT is doing it again. This time, the agency has told Texas’ congressional delegation to not bother obtaining federal funds for state road projects unless they first seek approval for the project from them first. TxDOT argues this is necessary because federal money often comes with the demand that the state provide matching funds, and federal money alone doesn’t always justify a project moving forward. Texas lawmakers argue that means some projects in inner-cites and in their districts might fall by the wayside, and have responded by calling the move “arrogant." They have composed a bipartisan letter trumpeting their performance in obtaining federal dollars for TxDOT, providing 40% of its budget. They argue that TxDOT is just another bureaucracy that's gone mad with power. The controversy is just the latest battle in a continuing war over obtaining transportation dollars for the state, and evidence of a growing divide between the state and its Washington lawmakers.

To listen to the story, click here. It begins at the three minute mark.

"Is the US Already at War with Iran?"

I have a new article up at LewRockwell.com discussing the major media's general failure to report on allegations that the Bush administration is backing Pakistani extremist groups to launch terrorist attacks inside of Iran. The article juxtaposes the amount of non-coverage this story has received to the amount of press that Don Imus' bigoted comment received, and asks why credible claims of American-supported terrorism are deemed less newsworthy. The article also includes the response from Senate Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) when I asked him to comment on the allegations.

To read the story, click here.

BBC Documentary on Iraqi Death Squads

I highly recommendend that anyone concerned with the current situation in Iraq watch this important documentary on the Shiite death squads that have been empowered since the 2003 invasion (video here). The documentary explores how Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army operates directly out of the Iraqi Interior Ministry, condoned and supported by the Iraqi government. It describes, in often graphic detail, how the death squads are attempting to drive the minority Sunnis from Baghdad, using torture and murder as their chief weapons. Before you watch the documentary, I recommend that you read this 2005 Newsweek article regarding the so-called "Salvador option" in Iraq, that is, the United States' backing of death squads that target Sunni insurgents and rebel leaders, ala the Reagain administration's anti-insurgent policy in El Salvador in the 1980s. With many of the same players from the Reagan foreign policy team in key positions within the Bush administration, such as John Negroponte, the former ambassador to Honduras for Reagan and current Deputy Secretary of State (as well as former National Intelligence Director and ambassador to Iraq), it is impossible to watch the documentary without wondering if this strategy has not in fact been implemented, with disastrous and bloody results.

So that was college...

This past Sunday I graduated from USD, and as you can tell by my determined gaze, I am setting off on "the next stage of my life," or something like that. Now I'm off to Washington, D.C., where I will be interning with the program "Capitol News Connection" of Public Radio International, joining the legions of other young and naive idealists that think they are going to change the world. Right now I'm busy moving all my stuff the 3,000 miles across country. I should be ready to conquer the world shortly.

Interview with Scott Ritter

When Scott Ritter spoke at the Coronado Democratic Club I got the chance to sit down and ask him some questions regarding a return of the draft, the possibility of bombing Iran, and who, if anyone, the anti-war movement should support in November '06.You can read the interview by clicking here. It is also running over at AlterNet, and you can read it there by clicking this link.

Scott Ritter Speaks to the Coronado Democratic Club

On April 20th former chief United Nations weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, spoke to the Democratic Club of Coronado, CA. My account of the evening for the 4/27/06 issue of The Vista is available here.

21st Annual Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair

This is my accout of the Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair in San Diego, CA for the 4/27/06 issue of The Vista. You can read it here.

Op/Ed: Why do so many Americans Hate America?

Here is an Op/Ed that I wrote for the 4/20/06 issue of The Vista. It is available here and also over at Strike-the-Root.

"Afghanistan Unveiled" Reveals Life After Taliban

This is my account of a March 29th event at the Institute for Peace & Justice sponsored by the San Diego-based group, Voices of Women. The event featured a 2003 documentary, "Afghanistan Unveiled," which followed a group of young women as they travelled around the country in the wake of the United States-led invasion. Following was a discussion session about the film as well as the current situation on the ground in Afghanistan.

The article appeared in the 4/6/06 edition of The Vista and it can be read by clicking here.

USD Service Trip to La Morita, Mexico

This is an article I wrote for the 4/6/06 edition of the Vista about a service trip to La Morita, a community of 200,000 immigrants in eastern Tijuana.

Read it here.

Warrantless Wiretapping Threatens Republic Op/Ed

This is an Op/Ed that I wrote for the 3/30/06 issue of The Vista about President Bush's warrantless wiretapping -- er, "terrorist surveillance program" -- and Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) censure resolution.

Read the Op/Ed here.

Excecutive Director of Amnesty Intl. Comes to USD

This is a piece I wrote for the 3/23/06 issue of The Vista about William Schulz, the Executive Director of Amnesty International, who came to USD to deliver a speech entitled, "Tainted Legacy: 9/11 and the Ruin of Human Rights."

Read it here.

Emiliano Zapata and the EZLN: Radical Social Activism from Beyond the Grave

Here is a research paper that I wrote about Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata and his connection to the contemporary Zapatista movement that bears his name.

Read the paper here.

Reflection on "Angels in America"

Here is a paper that I wrote in the Fall of '05 in response to the play "Angels in America." In the piece, I discuss homophobia in the 1980s conservative movement and how it influenced prominent conservatives, such as New York laywer Roy Cohn, to conceal their identities and lead secret double lives.

Read the paper here.

And here is the Works Cited page.

Commencement Speeches and Their Discontents

Read it here.

Here's an essay I wrote about the controversy surrounding commencement addresses back in 2003 for Strike-the-Root.com.

The other essays I wrote for the site can be found

HERE.

Enjoy.